1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to an antenna and its electronic circuit combination, and more particularly, to an antenna having a radiating plane arranged in parallel with a ground plane and incorporating its associated electronic circuit in a space saving manner.
2. Description of the Prior Art Due to a wide spread use of radio receiving and transmitting devices in a building or home for surveillance and paging systems, there have been a growing demand to provide a small and compact radio receiving or transmitting device including a particular antenna with its associated electronic circuit for easy installation in a limited space. To this end, there have been proposed a small antenna, for example, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,700,194 and 4,701,763. The prior antenna comprises a radiating plane and a ground plane which are formed on the opposite faces of a dielectric substrate in parallel relation to one another and shorted between the corresponding ends thereof. Although such antenna structure is found to be advantageous in reducing the size of the antenna, it is not satisfactory to reduce the total size or the bulk of the antenna plus its electronic circuit combination. In fact, the prior antenna is designed to be electrically coupled to an external receiving or transmitting circuit by means of a coaxial transmission line extending from the undersurface of the ground plane opposite of the radiating plane and is not intended to incorporate electronic components for the electronic circuit. Further, because of the substrate which occupies the space between the radiating and ground planes, it is not possible to incorporate such electronic components between these planes. Consequently, the prior antenna is found not suitable and sufficient for reducing the size of the antenna and its electronic circuit combination.